Apparatus and methods for attaching soft tissue to bone

ABSTRACT

Suture anchors and methods for using the suture anchors for attaching soft tissue, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles, to bone are disclosed herein. A suture anchor for attaching soft tissue to bone includes a catheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween, wherein the catheter has at least one inner lumen capable of allowing a light curable adhesive to pass therethrough; a balloon portion engaging the distal end of the catheter, wherein the balloon portion expands from a deflated state to an inflated state when a light curable adhesive is delivered to the balloon portion; and at least one suture material for passing through soft tissue to attach the soft tissue to a bone.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

FIELD

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to medical apparatuses forattaching soft tissue to bone, and more particularly to suture anchorsand methods for attaching soft tissue, such as ligaments, tendons, andmuscles, to bone.

BACKGROUND

The detachment of soft tissue, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles,from their associated bones within the body are relatively commoninjuries. A number of devices and methods have been developed tore-attach soft tissue to bone including, screws, wedges, plugs, nails,pins, staples, cement, and sutures. In certain detachments, it isdesirable to anchor one end of a length of suture inside a bone whilethe other end of the length of suture extends outside of the bone. Thefree end of the suture may then be used to re-attach the soft tissue tothe bone.

Prior techniques for attaching soft tissue to bone are described in U.S.Pat. No. 5,037,422 entitled “Bone Anchor and Method of Anchoring aSuture to a Bone;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,045,573 entitled “Suture AnchorHaving Multiple Sutures;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,800 entitled “Method andApparatus for Attaching Connective Tissues to Bone Using a Cortical BoneAnchoring Device;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,453 entitled “Method andApparatus for Attaching Connective Tissues to Bone Using a SutureAnchoring Device;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,660,008 entitled “Method andApparatus for Attaching Connective Tissues to Bone Using a SutureAnchoring Device;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,824 entitled “Apparatus andMethod for Securing Suture to Bone;” and U.S. Patent Application No.2006/0149280 entitled “Surgical Procedures and Instruments.”

The prior devices and methods designed for attaching soft tissue to bonepresent problems to the medical professional and the patient. The anchormay “back out” of the bone implantation site over time, especially insofter bone sites, such as cancellous bone, or in bone tissue that hasbecome compromised, such as in osteoporotic bone sites. Problemsassociated with the sutures of the prior devices include binding,tangling, inadvertent knotting or twisting, and the inability tomaneuver the sutures independently.

Thus, there is a need in the art for an apparatus and method forattaching soft tissue to bone with high pullout resistance in variousbone types while controlling the maneuverability and the placement ofsutures.

SUMMARY

Suture anchors and methods for using the suture anchors for attachingsoft tissue, such as ligaments, tendons, and muscles, to bone aredisclosed herein. According to aspects illustrated herein, there isprovided a suture anchor for attaching soft tissue to bone that includesa catheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end,and a longitudinal axis therebetween, and at least one inner lumen for alight curable adhesive to pass therethrough; a balloon portion engagingthe distal end of the catheter, wherein the balloon portion expands froma deflated state to an inflated state when the light curable adhesive isdelivered to the balloon portion; and at least one suture material forpassing through soft tissue to attach the soft tissue to a bone.

According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a method forusing a suture anchor to engage a soft tissue to a bone that includesforming an access hole in a bone, the access hole having a diameter andextending through a cortical bone into a cancellous bone; providing asuture anchor to the access hole, the suture anchor comprising at leastone suture material and a balloon portion capable of expanding from adeflated state having a deflated diameter to an inflated state having aninflated diameter when a light curable adhesive is delivered to theballoon portion; placing the suture anchor into the cancellous bonewhile the balloon portion is in a deflated state and the at least onesuture material extends from the cancellous bone through the compactouter layer of the bone; delivering a light curable adhesive to theballoon portion to expand the balloon portion from the deflated state tothe inflated state, wherein the inflated diameter is greater than thediameter of the access hole; and activating a light source to deliverlight to the light curable adhesive in the balloon portion to cure thelight curable adhesive.

According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a method forattaching a soft tissue to a bone that includes forming an access holein a bone, the access hole having a diameter and extending through acortical bone into a cancellous bone; providing a suture anchor to theaccess hole, the suture anchor comprising at least one suture materialand a balloon capable of expanding from a deflated state having adeflated diameter to an inflated state having an inflated diameter whena light curable adhesive is delivered to the balloon portion; placingthe suture anchor into the cancellous bone while the balloon portion isin a deflated state and the at least one suture material extends fromthe cancellous bone through the compact outer layer of the bone;delivering a light curable adhesive to the balloon portion to expand theballoon portion from the deflated state to the inflated state, whereinthe inflated diameter is greater than the diameter of the access hole;activating a light source to deliver light to the light curable adhesivein the balloon portion to cure the light curable adhesive; and attachingthe soft tissue to the bone using the at least one suture material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The presently disclosed embodiments will be further explained withreference to the attached drawings, wherein like structures are referredto by like numerals throughout the several views. The drawings shown arenot necessarily to scale, with emphasis instead generally being placedupon illustrating the principles of the presently disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B show perspective views of a suture anchor of thepresently disclosed embodiments. FIG. 1A shows a balloon portion of thesuture anchor in a deflated state. FIG. 1B shows a balloon portion ofthe suture anchor in an inflated state.

FIG. 1C and FIG. 1D show perspective views of some of the maincomponents of a suture anchor of the presently disclosed embodiments.FIG. 1C shows an oblong base and suture material of the suture anchor.FIG. 1D shows a catheter and oblong base of the suture anchor.

FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C show perspective views of a suture anchorof the presently disclosed embodiments. FIG. 2A shows a perspective viewof a suture anchor in a deflated state, the suture anchor having asingle eyelet. FIG. 2B shows a perspective view of a suture anchor in aninflated state having a single eyelet. FIG. 2C shows a perspective viewof a suture anchor in a deflated state, the suture anchor having twoeyelets.

FIG. 2D shows a side view of the suture anchor of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show perspective views of a suture anchor of thepresently disclosed embodiments. FIG. 3A shows a balloon portion of thesuture anchor in a deflated state. FIG. 3B shows a balloon portion ofthe suture anchor in an inflated state.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B show views of a catheter of a suture anchor of thepresently disclosed embodiments. FIG. 4A shows the catheter of thesuture anchor having an illumination area. FIG. 4B shows across-sectional view of the catheter of the suture anchor.

FIG. 5A, FIG. 5B and FIG. 5C show a close-up view of the method stepsfor placing a suture anchor of the presently disclosed embodiments intoa bone.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative embodiment of a suture anchor in positionin a bone.

While the above-identified drawings set forth presently disclosedembodiments, other embodiments are also contemplated, as noted in thediscussion. This disclosure presents illustrative embodiments by way ofrepresentation and not limitation. Numerous other modifications andembodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art which fall withinthe scope and spirit of the principles of the presently disclosedembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Suture anchors and methods of using suture anchors for attaching softtissue to bone are disclosed herein. The suture anchors disclosed hereinhave an expandable member. When in use, the suture anchor is placed inan access hole in a bone in a deflated state. The access hole may bejust slightly larger than the diameter of the expandable member. Once inplace, the expandable member is inflated and hardened such that thediameter of the expandable member is larger than the access hole. Thisresults in a suture anchor with a high pull-out strength.

The main components of a suture anchor 100 are shown generally in FIG.1A and FIG. 1B. The suture anchor 100 includes an oblong shaped base 110having a top surface 112 and a bottom surface 114. A catheter 130 havingan elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, and a longitudinalaxis therebetween runs through the base 110 through an oblong shapedcenter hole 120. The oblong shape of the center hole 120 allows for thebase 110 to lay as flat as possible relative to the catheter 130. In anembodiment, the center hole 120 is radiused to reduce any stressors orsharp edges that may be present on the hole 120. The radiusing of thecenter hole 120 also results in an insertion side or a proper insertiondirection to the base 110. The base 110 is free-floating around thecatheter 130, thus allowing the base 110 to rotate relative to thecatheter 130. In an embodiment, the base 110 is held on to the catheter130 by a crimp in the catheter 130 diameter. In an embodiment, the base110 is held on to the catheter 130 by an over sleeve that is larger thanthe hole 120 in the base 110, therefore precluding the base 110 fromfalling off of the catheter 130. The catheter 130 has at least one innerlumen capable of allowing a light cure adhesive to pass through. Thedistal end of the catheter 130 has a balloon portion 136 that inflatesand deflates. The balloon portion 136 has at least one inner lumencapable of allowing a light cure adhesive to pass through. A separationarea 109 is located at the junction between the balloon portion 136 andthe catheter 130. A distal end 137 of the catheter 130 protrudes fromthe bottom surface 114 of the base 110. In an embodiment, the catheter130 is formed of a pliable, resilient, conformable, and strong material,including but not limited to urethane, polyethylene terephthalate, nylonelastomer and other similar polymers. The balloon portion 136 engagesthe catheter 130 and is capable of expanding or inflating with thedelivery of a light cure adhesive. In an embodiment, the light cureadhesive is a UV activated glue. The balloon portion 136, when expanded,may take on the following shapes: round, cylindrical, oval, rectangularor another shape. As shown in FIG. 1B, the balloon portion 136 is in theshape of an oval. The base 110 includes at least two eyelets 140,preferably four eyelets 140, for passage of a suture material 150. Thesuture material 150 may comprise pre-attached suture needles at a distalend 154 of the suture material 150 (the suture needles are not shown inthe drawings).

FIG. 1C shows a perspective view of the oblong base 110. The base 110includes a short axis “A” and a long axis “B”. The base 110 includes atleast one pair of eyelets 140, preferably two pair of eyelets 140, forpassage of the suture material 150. The suture material 150 is easilyadjustable due to the fact that the suture material 150 passes from thetop surface 112 to the bottom surface 114 of one eyelet 140 and thenfrom the bottom surface 114 to the top surface 112 of another eyelet140. This configuration makes it is easy to control the tension of eachsuture material 150. The design of the eyelets 140 allows for thepre-threaded suture material 150 to independently move when passingthrough soft tissue or during knot tying, reducing the risk of thesuture material 150 from binding while facilitating suture managementwithin soft tissue repair. In an embodiment, the oblong base 110 hasdimensions of about 2 mm by about 8 mm. In an embodiment, the oblongbase 110 has dimensions of about 3 mm by about 6 mm. Those skilled inthe art will recognize that any oblong shape is possible for the base110 as long as the shape is elongated in one direction, such that theshape is longer than it is broad. Other possible base shapes include,but are not limited to, rectangular or elliptical. When the catheter 130is in a deflated state, the base 110 is able to rotate about thecatheter 130, as shown in FIG. 1D. The base 110 is rotatable for easyinsertion into a soft or hard tissue.

FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D show views of an alternativeembodiment of a suture anchor 200. In this embodiment, the suture anchor200 includes a catheter 230 having an elongated shaft with a proximalend, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween. The catheter230 has at least one inner lumen 231 capable of allowing a light cureadhesive to pass through. The distal end of the catheter 230 has aballoon portion 236 that inflates and deflates. A separation area 209 islocated at the junction between the balloon portion 236 and the catheter230. The balloon portion 236 is able to expand and inflate when a lightcure adhesive is delivered to the balloon portion 236. In an embodiment,the light cure adhesive is a UV activated glue. The balloon portion 236,when expanded, may take on the shape of the bone cavity including, butnot limited to, round, cylindrical, oval, rectangular or another shape.As shown in FIG. 2B, the balloon portion 236 is in the shape of an oval.At least one screw anchor 260 is positioned along the longitudinal axisof the catheter 230. The screw anchor 260 has at least one eyelet 240 onthe top for passage of a suture material 250. The screw anchor 260 maybe anywhere along the longitudinal axis of the catheter 230 and may beeither inside or outside the catheter 230. There may be a plurality ofscrew anchors 260 on the catheter 230, as shown in FIG. 2C. As shown inthe side view of the suture anchor 200 in FIG. 2D, the screw anchor 260may be attached at the proximal end of one side of the catheter 230 byan attachment means 261. Those skilled in the art will recognize thatthere may be any number of screw anchors 260 on the catheter 230 and thescrew anchor 260 may be anywhere along the catheter 230 and still bewithin the scope and spirit of the presently disclosed embodiments. Thescrew anchor 260 and the attachment means 261 may be fabricated from apolymer or a metal. The screw anchor 260, the attachment means 261 andthe eyelet 240 may be fabricated as a single piece or as multiple piecespined together. The suture material 250 may comprise pre-attached sutureneedles at a distal end 254 of the suture material 250 (the sutureneedles are not shown in the drawings).

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show perspective views of an alternative embodimentof a suture anchor 300. In this embodiment, the suture anchor 300includes a catheter 330 having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, adistal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween. The distal end of thecatheter 330 has a balloon portion 336 that inflates and deflates. Aseparation area 309 is located at the junction between the balloonportion 336 and the catheter 330. The catheter 330 has at least oneinner lumen capable of allowing a light cure adhesive to pass through.The balloon portion 336 is able to expand and inflate when a light cureadhesive is delivered to the balloon portion 336. In an embodiment, thelight cure adhesive is a UV activated glue. In an embodiment, at leastone suture material 350 is embedded in a wall 331 of the balloon portion336. The suture material 350 has limited ability to be maneuvered,tensioned or repositioned relative to the balloon portion 336. Thesuture material 350 may comprise pre-attached suture needles at a distalend 354 of the suture material 350 (the suture needles are not shown inthe drawings). In an embodiment, the catheter 330 is formed of apliable, resilient, conformable, and strong material, including but notlimited to urethane, polyethylene terephthalate, nylon elastomer andother similar polymers. As shown in FIG. 3B, the balloon portion 336expands to take the shape of an oval.

The suture anchors may engage any adhesive system known in the art thatdelivers a light cure adhesive. The adhesive system may engage at theproximal end of the catheter. Examples of adhesive systems include, butare not limited to, caulking gun type systems, syringe systems, bagsystems that contain the adhesive where the delivery of the adhesive iscontrolled using a tube clamp or any other restrictor valve. In anembodiment, the balloon portion of the suture anchor is expanded from adeflated state to an inflated state using a delivery syringe of UVcurable adhesive that is attached to a luer at the proximal end of thecatheter. A control mechanism regulates the flow of the adhesive. Thecontrol mechanism of the syringe allows the adhesive to flow into thecatheter and can stop the flow if desired. The delivery syringe makesdirect contact to control the directional flow of the adhesive, and thedirection of flow of the adhesive changes within the catheter inresponse to a change in the direction of the delivery syringe. In anembodiment, the delivery syringe prevents light from penetrating theouter surface of the syringe. Having an opaque syringe ensures that theadhesive contained in the delivery syringe is not exposed to light andwill not cure in the syringe.

As shown in FIG. 4A, a catheter 430 of a suture anchor 400 includes aseparation area 409 located at a junction between a balloon portion 436and a proximal end 432 of the catheter 430. The separation area 409 mayalso be an illumination area 435. When activated, the illumination area435 causes light to cure an adhesive located in the catheter 430 withinthe illumination area 435, as will be described below. The illuminationarea 435 also causes light to cure an adhesive located in the balloonportion 436. The illumination area 435 may include at least one lightguide 437 which transmits light of the proper frequency to theillumination area 435 and provides sufficient light to cure the lightcurable adhesive. A cross-sectional view of the catheter 430 taken alongline B-B is shown in FIG. 4B. The catheter 430 includes a catheter wall431, a plurality of illumination fibers 427, a mechanical connector 433for holding together the illumination fibers 427, and an inner lumen 439through which a light curable adhesive is introduced. In an embodiment,the catheter 430 is the at least one light guide 437. In an embodiment,the at least one light guide 437 extends through the inner lumen 439into the balloon portion 436 to guide a light into the balloon portion436. The plurality of illumination fibers 427 are used to providesufficient light to cure an adhesive. The mechanical connector 433 mayinclude, but is not limited to, metallic rings, polymer rings,illumination rings, glue or similar structures. After the illuminationfibers 427 are bound together, the illumination fibers 427 may be cut inan even manner. The illumination fibers 427 may be polished smooth toassist in pointing light illumination.

In an embodiment, an infusion catheter connects the at least one lightguide 437 of the catheter 430 to a light source and precludesinadvertent or early activation of the light source (e.g., prior to thecorrect positioning and desired infusion amount of a light curableadhesive). The activation of the light source cures the adhesive thathas been delivered to the balloon portion 436, resulting in thehardening of the inflated balloon portion 436. A cure refers to anychemical, physical, and/or mechanical transformation that allows acomposition to progress from a form (e.g., flowable form) that allowsthe composition to be delivered through the catheter 430, into a morepermanent (e.g., cured) form for final use in vivo. For example,“curable” may refer to uncured composition, having the potential to becured in vivo (as by catalysis or the application of a suitable energysource), as well as to a composition in the process of curing (e.g., acomposition formed at the time of delivery by the concurrent mixing of aplurality of composition components). The activation of the light sourcethat is connected to the light guides 437 within the catheter 430 causesa complete cure of the adhesive to the point where the composition hasbeen finally shaped for its intended use. By activating the lightsource, the light cure adhesive contained in the balloon portion 436hardens. Activation of the light cure adhesive does not require a changein shape post activation; shrinking or swelling of the light adhesiveafter curing is limited or does not occur. In an embodiment, thecatheter 430 of the suture anchor 400 may be constructed of illuminationmaterials resulting in a light transmittable fiber catheter, which wouldnot require illumination fibers 427 or light guides 437. In anembodiment, the at least one light guide 437 engages the light source.In an embodiment, the at least one light guide 437 is a flexible lightpipe. The at least one light guide 437 directs light from a light sourceto the balloon portion 436. In an embodiment, a light taper is used todirect the light into the balloon portion 436 because the light sourcemay be larger than the diameter of the catheter 430.

In an embodiment, the balloon portion 436 separates from a proximal end432 of the catheter 430, allowing the balloon portion 436 to remain in abone and the proximal end 432 of the catheter 430 to be more removed.After the adhesive in the balloon portion 436 is cured, such as by usingthe illumination fibers 427, the illumination area 435 may be activatedcausing light to cure any adhesive located in the catheter 430 withinthe illumination area 435. The illumination area 435 extends around thecatheter 430 and has a stress concentrator. The stress concentrator maybe a notch, groove, channel or similar structure that concentratesstress in the illumination area 435. The stress concentrator of theillumination area 435 may be notched, scored, indented, pre-weakened orpre-stressed to direct separation of the balloon portion 436 from thecatheter 430 under specific torsional load. The separation area 409ensures that adhesive does not leak from the proximal end 432 of thecatheter 430 and/or the balloon portion 436. The separation area 409seals the proximal end 432 of the catheter 430 and/or the balloonportion 436 and removes the proximal end 432 of the catheter 430 bymaking a break at a known or predetermined site (e.g., a separation area409). The separation area 409 is located where the distal end of thecatheter 430 meets the proximal end of the balloon portion 436 becausethe adhesive in the balloon portion 436 is hardened after activation ofthe illumination area 435. The separation area 409 may be variouslengths and up to about an inch long. When torque is applied to thecatheter 430 the catheter 430 separates from the balloon portion 436.Twisting the catheter 430 creates a torque sufficient in the separationarea 409 to break the proximal end 432 of the catheter 430 from theballoon portion 436. The twisting creates a sufficient shear to breakthe residual adhesive and create a clean separation of thecatheter/balloon interface. Because the adhesive in the separation area409 has been cured and hardened by the illumination area 435, noadhesive can leak into the body from the proximal end 432 of thecatheter 430 and/or the balloon portion 436.

The suture anchors of the presently disclosed embodiments may beinserted into a human patient's body at many different locations. Thesuture anchors may be inserted into either hard tissue (cartilage andbone) or soft tissue (generally, the ligaments, tendons, and muscles).In an embodiment, the suture anchors are inserted into bony tissue andare used to re-attach an associated tissue to the bone. The sutureanchors of the presently disclosed embodiments may be used for a varietyof medical procedures including, but not limited to, plastic surgeryprocedures, cosmetic procedures, and in surgical procedures involvingrepair of the knee, ankle, elbow, shoulder, and hand. It will beunderstood, however, that the methods and devices described herein areequally applicable to connecting detached tissue in other contexts aswell.

FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5C in conjunction with FIG. 1A, illustrate the methodsteps for inserting and expanding the suture anchor 100 in a bone tissueof a patient's body. The suture anchor 100 may then be used to engage anassociated soft tissue to the bone. An access hole 505 is formed in thebone tissue of the patient's body by drilling or other methods known inthe art. The access hole 505 is created such that the shorter axis “A”of the base 110 will fit through the diameter of the hole 505, with thelonger axis “B” of the base 110 being about parallel to the axis of thehole 505. The access hole 505 extends through a hard compact outer layer520 of the bone tissue into the relatively porous inner or cancelloustissue 525. In an embodiment, the access hole 505 has a diameter ofabout 3 mm to about 10 mm. In an embodiment, the access hole 505 has adiameter of about 3 mm. After the access hole 505 is drilled, the sutureanchor 100 is inserted into the bone tissue such that the base 110 ofthe suture anchor 100 is positioned completely in the cancellous tissue525 and a proximal end of a catheter 130 attached to the base 110extends up and out through the compact outer layer 520. In anembodiment, the base 110 of the suture anchor 100 has dimensions ofabout 2 mm by about 8 mm. The suture anchor 100 may be placed within theaccess hole 505 using a sheath or similar surgical instrument known inthe art. In an embodiment a sheath is used to insert the suture anchor100 within the access hole 505. In an embodiment, the sheath is a thinwalled tube which fits entirely around the suture anchor 100. Suturematerial 150 extends out of the bony tissue from at least one eyelet 140of the base 110.

During the insertion stage, as shown in FIG. 5A, the catheter 130 isadvanced and the sheath (not shown) is pulled back to expose the base110 and the balloon portion 136. The base 110 is in an orientation suchthat the longer axis “B” of the base 110 is approximately parallel tothe axis of the hole 505. Once the suture anchor 100 is in place withinthe bony tissue, the balloon portion 136 of the catheter 130 is inflatedusing a light curable adhesive, as shown in FIG. 5B. The expansion ofthe balloon portion 136 causes the base 110 to rotate and flatten outsuch that the long axis “B” of the base 110 becomes approximatelyperpendicular with the axis of the access hole 505. The base 110 hasbeen rotated and flattened within the cancellous tissue 525. The balloonportion 136 of the suture anchor 100 is positioned against the base 110at one end and against the inner surface of the compact bone layer 520at the other end. The balloon portion 136 is inflated with an adhesivesuch that the balloon portion 136 becomes larger then the access hole505 and as a result presents a large contact area against the innercompact bone layer 520, thus providing resistance to pulling out of thebone.

By activating a light source that is connected to the catheter 130, theadhesive may be cured, resulting in the hardening of the inflatedballoon portion 136. Once the suture anchor 100 is in place, as shown inFIG. 5C, a medical professional may then approximate the free end ofdetached soft tissue to the surface of the bone tissue (not shown). Bypulling up on the suture material 150, which extends out from the accesshole 505, the inflated balloon portion 136 engages and conforms to theinner surface of the compact layer 520. As shown in FIG. 5C, the balloonportion 136, which may have an inflated diameter of from about 6 mm toabout 8 mm is pushing up against an access hole 505 having a diameter offrom about 3 mm to about 4 mm, thus the forces holding the suture anchor100 in place are large. The suture anchor 100 resists pulling-out of thebone. The distal ends 154 of the suture material 150 may then threadedthrough soft tissue such as ligaments, tendons, muscles, skin and othersoft tissue. The suture material 150 is then knotted and tied down tothe bone surface. In this manner, various soft tissues may be engaged.Those skilled in the art will recognize that any of the suture anchorsdisclosed herein may be used with the method steps of FIG. 5.

When torque is applied to the catheter 130 the catheter 130 may beseparated from the balloon portion 136. Twisting the catheter 130creates a torque sufficient in a separation area of the catheter 130 tobreak a proximal end of the catheter 130 from the balloon portion 136.The twisting creates a sufficient shear to break any residual adhesiveand create a clean separation of the catheter/balloon interface. Becausethe adhesive in the separation area has been cured and hardened by theillumination area, no adhesive can leak into the body from the proximalend of the catheter 130 and/or the balloon portion 136.

FIG. 6 shows an illustrative view of the suture anchor 100 in positionwithin a bone of a patient (suture material is not shown in thisfigure). In an embodiment, the balloon portion 136 separates from thecatheter 130, allowing the balloon portion 136 to remain in the bone andthe catheter 130 to be more easily removed, as described above.

The suture material 150 may be formed from conventional polymericmaterials and may be absorbable or non-absorbable. Examples ofnon-absorbable suture materials include silk, polyethylene,polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyesters and the like.Examples of absorbable suture materials include cat gut (collagen),aliphatic polyesters, lactide, glycolide, trimethylene carbonate,polycaprolactone, polydioxanone, and copolymers and blends thereof andthe like. In an embodiment, the suture material 150 is a polyestermaterial.

One or more radiopaque markers may be placed on the catheter and/or theballoon portion of the suture anchors of the presently disclosedembodiments. In an embodiment, the radiopaque marker is located at thetransition point between the proximal end of the balloon portion and thedistal end of the catheter. The radiopaque marker, using radiopaquematerial such as barium sulfate, tantalum, or other materials known toincrease radiopacity, allows a medical professional to view the distalend of the catheter using fluoroscopy techniques. The radiopaquematerial provides visibility during inflation to determine the precisepositioning of the balloon portion and/or catheter during placement andinflation. Once the correct positioning of the balloon portion and/orcatheter is determined, the proximal end of the catheter may be attachedto any adhesive system that contains a light cure adhesive.

All patents, patent applications, and published references cited hereinare hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. It will beappreciated that various of the above-disclosed and other features andfunctions, or alternatives thereof, may be desirably combined into manyother different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen orunanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations, or improvementstherein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art which arealso intended to be encompassed by the following claims.

1. A suture anchor for attaching soft tissue to bone comprising: acatheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, alongitudinal axis therebetween, and at least one inner lumen for a lightcurable adhesive to pass therethrough; a balloon portion engaging thedistal end of the catheter, wherein the balloon portion expands from adeflated state to an inflated state when the light curable adhesive isdelivered to the balloon portion; and at least one suture material forpassing through soft tissue to attach the soft tissue to a bone.
 2. Thesuture anchor of claim 1 further comprising a base having a top surfaceand a bottom surface, wherein the balloon portion extends through thebase.
 3. The suture anchor of claim 2 wherein the base comprises atleast one pair of eyelets that extend from the top surface of the baseto the bottom surface of the base for passage of the suture material. 4.The suture anchor of claim 3 wherein the suture material passes from thetop surface to the bottom surface of a first eyelet and passes from thebottom surface to the top surface of a second eyelet.
 5. The sutureanchor of claim 1 further comprising at least one eyelet attached to thecatheter for passage of the suture material.
 6. The suture anchor ofclaim 1 wherein the suture material is embedded into the balloonportion.
 7. The suture anchor of claim 1 wherein the light curableadhesive is a UV glue.
 8. The suture anchor of claim 1 furthercomprising at least one light guide extending from the catheter into theballoon portion to guide a light from a light source into the balloonportion.
 9. The suture anchor of claim 1 further comprising a lightsource for providing an ultraviolet light to the catheter.
 10. Thesuture anchor of claim 1 further comprising a separation area at thedistal end of the catheter, the separation area allowing the catheter tobe removed from the balloon portion.
 11. The suture anchor of claim 1wherein the balloon portion expands to an inflated state after beingpositioned within a cancellous tissue of the bone.
 12. A method forusing a suture anchor to engage a soft tissue to a bone comprising:forming an access hole in a bone, the access hole having a diameter andextending through a cortical bone into a cancellous bone; providing asuture anchor to the access hole, the suture anchor comprising at leastone suture material and a balloon portion capable of expanding from adeflated state having a deflated diameter to an inflated state having aninflated diameter when a light curable adhesive is delivered to theballoon portion; placing the suture anchor into the cancellous bonewhile the balloon portion is in a deflated state and the at least onesuture material extends from the cancellous bone through the compactouter layer of the bone; delivering a light curable adhesive to theballoon portion to expand the balloon portion from the deflated state tothe inflated state, wherein the inflated diameter is greater than thediameter of the access hole; and activating a light source to deliverlight to the light curable adhesive in the balloon portion to cure thelight curable adhesive.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the lightsource provides light to the balloon portion using at least one lightguide that extends from a catheter that engages the balloon portion. 14.The method of claim 12 wherein the suture anchor further comprises anoblong shaped base having a top surface and a bottom surface, whereinthe balloon portion extends through the base.
 15. The method of claim 14wherein the base comprises at least one pair of eyelets that extend fromthe top surface of the base to the bottom surface of the base forpassage of the suture material.
 16. The method of claim 15 wherein thesuture material passes from the top surface to the bottom surface of afirst eyelet and passes from the bottom surface to the top surface of asecond eyelet.
 17. A method for attaching a soft tissue to a bonecomprising: forming an access hole in a bone, the access hole having adiameter and extending through a cortical bone into a cancellous bone;providing a suture anchor to the access hole, the suture anchorcomprising at least one suture material and a balloon capable ofexpanding from a deflated state having a deflated diameter to aninflated state having an inflated diameter when a light curable adhesiveis delivered to the balloon portion; placing the suture anchor into thecancellous bone while the balloon portion is in a deflated state and theat least one suture material extends from the cancellous bone throughthe compact outer layer of the bone; delivering a light curable adhesiveto the balloon portion to expand the balloon portion from the deflatedstate to the inflated state, wherein the inflated diameter is greaterthan the diameter of the access hole; activating a light source todeliver light to the light curable adhesive in the balloon portion tocure the light curable adhesive; and attaching the soft tissue to thebone using the at least one suture material.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein the suture anchor further comprises a catheter having a proximalend, a distal end, and a longitudinal axis therebetween, the catheterengages the balloon portion and has at least one light guide thatextends through the catheter into the balloon portion and provides thelight that hardens the light curable adhesive.
 19. The method of claim17 wherein the suture anchor further comprises an oblong shaped basehaving a top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the balloon portionextends through the base.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the basecomprises at least one pair of eyelets that extend from the top surfaceof the base to the bottom surface of the base for passage of the suturematerial.
 21. The method of claim 20 wherein the suture material passesthrough a pair of eyelets such that the suture material passes from thetop surface to the bottom surface of a first eyelet in the pair and thenpasses from the bottom surface to the top surface of a second eyelet inthe pair.